FHMA Day 41: Taking the West by Storm

QUICK FACTS

• Where We Started:  Chinle, Ariz.
• Where We Ended: Las Vegas, Nev.
• Miles Driven: 522 (9,843 total).
• New States: Nevada.
• States So Far: 18 (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Nevada)

THE DAY'S HIGHLIGHTS

The schizophrenic nature of the weather out west continued to amaze us on Wednesday, as we encountered a dust storm and two snowstorms on a journey that took us from a small, quiet Navajo town to the neon-lit, loud streets of Vegas.

In the end, it was one of the most grueling driving days of the trip, and left us a little sapped physically and mentally. As a result, we decided that Thursday -- the last day of before a two-day FHMA hiatus -- would be a quiet one. Or as quiet as it gets in when you spend your day in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

Wednesday did indeed start quietly, as we headed back to Canyon de Chelly. We had managed to see the south rim just before sunset Tuesday, but decided to stick around the Navajo town of Chinle to see the north rim on Wednesday. We've been told by many that the best way to experience Canyon de Chelly is to go down into the canyon with a Navajo guide, but with two beagles along for the ride, that wasn't an option. But looking into the canyon from above isn't bad either.

The north rim at Canyon de Chelly. (Photo by Jim)

The only thing that complicated the visit were the major winds that pounded us every time we reached an overlook. I won't lie, dealing with gale-force winds while standing near the edge of a canyon is not fun. But because we care about you, the reader, we even shot some video to give you a sense of the wind at canyon's edge. Now, I am trying to say something in this video, but you won't be able to hear it. But don't worry. Like most things that come out of my mouth, it's just not that important. The wind is what we wanted to you sense.

After lunch in Chinle, we were ready to head to the Grand Canyon. But, as we were leaving town, we experienced something unique to both Joan and me: a good, old-fashioned dust storm. It started as we were leaving Chinle, and by the time we reached US-191, our visibility was as limited as Paris Hilton's acting range.

US-191, near Chinle, Ariz. Oh, by the way, that's a school bus pulling out ahead of us. You probably didn't see it. Neither did I. At first.

Now, pictures can indeed convey what this was like, but we also did some video so you could get a better sense.

This storm continued at this intensity for about five minutes, and while we did see mini-dust storms on and off the rest of the way to the Grand Canyon, it was never that bad again. But the wind continued howling for hours.

Two Navajo children encounter howling winds as they get off their school bus near Chinle, Ariz.

After an hour, we finally left the wind behind, only to have it replaced by snow. Despite no real change in elevation, the temperature dropped sharply as we headed west, but we were hoping to least avoid snow. But it was not to be, and we even lucky enough that the snow came right as we got onto an uneven dirt road in Navajo country. Joan even pulled out the Flip video camera to shoot our third video piece of the day. Now, the snow is hard to see here, but what is easy to see is how hard it is to be a passenger in our car when I'm driving on a dirt road. Soon after we did this video, the snow stopped.

We figured the snow was an anomaly, and that we'd be in pretty good shape weather-wise by the time we reached the Grand Canyon. But, about 30 minutes away, the snow began again, this time harder. By the time we arrived, the temperature had dropped to 28 degrees. Because we've both been to the Grand Canyon twice before, we didn't view this is a tragedy. But we did feel bad for all those tourists -- especially the always-huge number of foreign tourists -- who came all the way to see this amazing sight. There just wasn't much to look at.

The Grand Canyon, featuring low cloud cover, freezing temperatures and snow. Still cool, mind you, but not at its best.

More low visibility at the Grand Canyon. (Photo by Jim)

Because of the weather, we decided to get the necessary shot of Fred and Hank in front of the canyon and get out of Dodge, since, by now, the temperature had dropped to 22 degrees.

Hank and Fred transfixed by a group of loud tourists over Joan's left shoulder at the Desert View Overlook at the Grand Canyon.

By the time we took the above photo, Hank was shivering uncontrollably, as was Joan. So we got in the car and headed for the park exit. Luckily, the road out of the Grand Canyon is the same one that runs alongside it, so as we headed toward the exit, the weather let up a bit. It didn't get any warmer, mind you, but some sun did decide to make a cameo appearance as we approached Mather Point, which affords some of the best views of the canyon.

A little ray of sunshine aids our visit to the Grand Canyon.

Unfortunately, the sun didn't permeate the entire canyon, leaving this gaggle of freezing tourists to peer hopefully into the abyss. (Photo by Jim)

Two birds soar above the Grand Canyon. (Photo by Jim)

Happy that we'd at least gotten something from the Grand Canyon visit, it was then off on the four-hour ride to Vegas. That didn't mean we didn't see anything interesting, however. We stopped for dinner in Williams, Ariz., site of a really cool old stretch of Route 66. Featuring the old buildings, neon signs and diners that mark so much of Route 66, this was a particularly cool stretch of The Mother Road. We would liked to have driven more of it, but decided we'd bitten off all we could chew on this day.

The Route 66 Inn in Williams, Ariz.  

After 110 mind-numbing miles on I-40, we hopped onto U.S. Route 93 for the last leg of the drive to Vegas. Now, most of this road is no picnic either, but it's made a lot more interesting by the fact you cross over Hoover Dam about 30 miles outside Vegas. We visited Hoover Dam in 2003, and the most notable change since was the level of security around the dam. There was a checkpoint about 10 miles south of the dam that required all cars to stop, and there are increased restrictions on commercial traffic near the dam. In addition, there is a massive construction project going on around the dam. So it was a slow crawl through the dam area, and because we were moving, we didn't get a shot of the dam itself. But we did stop after we passed Hoover and Joan got a photo of part of the end result of the construction project: the Colorado River Bridge, which will replace the existing road that crosses atop Hoover Dam.

One of the two spans of the Colorado River Bridge, which will run over Hoover Dam. It is scheduled to be completed in June 2010. The details of this project can be found here. 

Soon after passing Hoover, we arrived at our hotel and, despite stating emphatically on the way up in the elevator that I would write a draft of Thursday's blog post, both Joan and I almost immediately fell asleep.

ROAD SCRAPS

• As we were cruising through the Hopi Reservation on our way to the Grand Canyon, we came across the interesting sight of a dog sitting with a bunch of goats alongside a dirt road. The goats were eating grass, and the dog was chewing on a bone. To us, they looked like a wonderfully blended family. One deserving of a beautiful family photo. Heck, they even posed for us.
  

But there was only one problem: As Joan looked through her lens she suddenly realized that, while we were correct that the dog was chewing on a bone, what we hadn't seen was that the bone was still covered by flesh and fur and had a paw stuck at the end of it. I have no idea what the dog was eating -- other than that it's no longer with us -- but it did turn this photo into something a little more ghoulish that we originally thought.

• Not too much farther down the road, we had another dog incident. We spotted a two dogs hanging out by the side of the same dirt road. We immediately realized that one of them looked suspiciously like one of the dogs that attacked our car in Monument Valley. 

On the left is the dog we saw in Arizona on Wednesday; on the right is the Monument Valley Gnasher. Maybe not the same dog, but a relative perhaps? Are we are being tracked by a wild dog family? You decide.

• We have a general philosophy that, no matter where you are, dog owners should always pick up their canine's, ahem, leave-behinds. We're actually quite shocked how many people don't follow this "No Poop Left Behind" policy. But at the Grand Canyon, I feel the need to confess that I violated this policy. Soon after we took our official photo of Fred and Hank at the Grand Canyon, Joan left -- with the poop bags -- to use a faraway bathroom. Fred chose this exact moment to take care of business. Having no bag to clean it up and knowing Joan was going to meet us at the car after her restroom visit, I saw no good solution. My only options were to meet Joan back at the car and walk her back to the scene of the crime in 25-degree, windy conditions, or hide my head deep in my jacket hood and urge the dogs quickly back to the car. I chose the latter. As we were driving away, Joan said, "Thank goodness neither of the dogs decided to poop there, I totally forgot to give you a bag." I was then forced to confess. Bad Jim.
• Sign of the Day, located at the edge of Canyon de Chelly:

(Photo by Jim)

The sign itself really isn't the issue; it makes perfect sense. But if you're a parent or a pet owner, and the fact there's only a stone wall between you and certain death hasn't already gotten your attention,  you should immediately have any children and/or dogs removed from your care.

MUSIC REPORT

• Random iPod shuffle song of the day: "Bummer," by Harry Chapin. Chapin, the singer, songwriter and activist, was a longtime resident of my hometown, Huntington, N.Y. Because of my parents' work with the Huntington Arts Council, they were friends with the Harry and Sandy Chapin. In fact, they had dinner at our house once. Although he was never loved by the critics, Chapin has a hardcore fan base and released a few songs that are indisputable classics, most notably "Cats in the Cradle" and "Taxi." He died in in a car crash on the Long Island Expressway in 1981, while on his way to play a concert. Chapin did an amazing amount of philanthropic work, much of it for the cause of world hunger. I'm a fan of a lot of his work, though would agree with the general consensus that he was a bit hit-or-miss. My favorite Chapin songs: "Cats in the Cradle," "A Better Place to Be," "Sniper" and "Dreams Go By."
• Most-Played Albums: The major plays of the day: "Us," by Peter Gabriel; and "Bent Out of Shape," and "Straight Between the Eyes," both by Rainbow. I was going to play some Sinatra as we headed into Vegas, but we got caught up in going over the Hoover Dam, and I forgot. But we'll play from Frank as we leave later today.

MEAL REPORT

• Lunch: The Junction Restaurant, Chinle, Ariz.: For the first time on the FHMA trip, we made a return visit to a restaurant. While we enjoyed our dinner at the Junction on Tuesday, the lack of options in Chinle was the main reason. This time, we bypassed Navajo fry bread, and both went healthy with soup and salads. Yes, you heard right. Soup. Salad. Nothing else. Jim Nutrition Rating: 4 stars (out of 5). Only demerit: the soup was corn chowder. But it was a cup. Restaurant Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5).
• Dinner: Pine Country Restaurant, Williams, Ariz.: This was a totally random stop, as it turned out that our intended stop -- the Roadfood-recommended Old Smokey's Restaurant & Pancake House -- was only open for breakfast and lunch. So we drove down the cool historic Route 66 loop in Williams, and saw that this place was pretty crowded. I strongly believe in crowdsourcing for restaurants, so we gave it a shot. It was a good call. Believe it or not, I continued my strong eating for the day with a entree chicken salad and some beef barley soup. Joan had two grilled chicken breasts and a side salad. The bad news: The Pine Country Restaurant's specialty is pies, and they have a lot of different types. So, even though it wasn't on the menu, we asked if they had coconut cream pie. As fate would have it, they did. So we split it, and it was wonderful. Jim Nutrition Rating: 3 stars (out of 5). Despite a healthy main course, I lose one star for the pie. Restaurant Rating: 4 stars (out of 5).
• An apology is due to Joan: When she was editing the blog on Wednesday morning, she told me that, when we ate at The Junction on Tuesday night, I didn't have a two patties on my Navajo burger, as I had asserted in the blog. Instead, she told me, I had two totally separate burgers, each on a different piece of Navajo fry bread. "Isn't my eating bad enough already without you making stuff up?" I asked. In the car on Wednesday, she re-iterated this. I was about to protest again when I realized she was absolutely right. So, in the interest of complete accuracy, I did not have a "double burger" on Tuesday night. I had two burgers. Yikes. I must have blocked it out of mind the same way I blocked my arteries with the burger itself. I guess I'll need to change that meal rating to a zero.

HOTEL REPORT

• Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nev.: After a number of nights in OK-but-limited hotel rooms, we decided to splurge so that we could stay on the Strip. Because dogs can't walk through casinos, and almost every hotel on the strip has a casino, it's hard to find a place that accepts dogs. But the Four Seasons -- located at the top of Mandalay Bay -- has a casino-free entrance and is quite dog-friendly. They do have a policy that says only one dog per room, however, unless the total weight of two dogs is less than 25 pounds. Now, we might be able to stretch the truth a tad and claim Fred weighs less than 25 pounds, but we sure as hell weren't going to convince them Fred and Hank combined for less than 25. So we resorted to begging, and the hotel acquiesced. We stayed here on the 2003 trip as well, and they were so dog friendly, that every time we came down into the lobby, the staff would ask, "How is Fred enjoying his stay?" This annoyed me for two reasons: 1) Fred wasn't paying the bill, and 2) Fred is a dog, and thus unable to communicate his feeling about hotels to us humans. Nonetheless, the staff at the Four Seasons was wonderful, the bed comfortable, the shower amazing and the view of Mandalay Bay from our 38th-story room great. The only ding: The wireless network was brutally slow, so much so that I had to plug in a high-speed cord for the first time on the trip. There were also dog bowls, dog biscuits and dog beds awaiting Fred and Hank upon our arrival. Fred slept in the people bed, but Hank was happy to crash on one of the dog beds. Hotel rating: 4 stars (out of 5).

COMMENT OF THE DAY

From DeniseV, responding to my comment on Wednesday that Fred and Hank are the only living beings on this trip our readership cares about. This made us feel better -- sort of:

• Hey Joan and Jim, don't think that you aren't just as important as Fred and Hank on this trip. Someone has to drive the car, and someone has to see to the Beagles daily needs for food, water and walks. So, yeah, sure, you guys are very important, and I do worry for your safety, as you are the ones responsible for the precious canine cargo that you are carrying. Yay. \o/

UPCOMING PLAN (subject to change)

• Today: A lazy day in Las Vegas, and then off to Los Angeles to catch my flight to Austin.
• Tomorrow: Jim's in Austin, Tex., and Joan is in L.A., as FHMA starts two-day hiatus.
• The Day After Tomorrow: The second day of our two-day hiatus.

BONUS BEAGLE PHOTOS

Hank's got some big ol' ears, and here, the heavy winds at Canyon de Chelly help show them off.

Comments

[L'OrIlana]

You talk of the Hoover Dam reminds me of when we drove over it when Ilana was a mere 3 months old. We were coming back from Prescott (a memorial service), it was DRIVING rain (pun sort of intended), and the drive across the dam was at a super duper crawl. And Ori had to pee like crazy. And Ilana had a dirty diaper. So here we are... driving. We spot a porta-potty part way down the hill. We pull in. Ori runs over and does his business. Ilana is screaming. He comes back. We are standing in the pouring rain with her on the backseat changing the diaper. We are drenched. I think she stopped screaming. We continued our drive. THAT is my Hoover Dam experience. Memorable!

[Frank Gallagher]

Great post, again, but you missed a golden opportunity by not playing "Hoover Damn" by Sugar when you were at the, ahhhh, Hoover Damn!

[alyson]

Kudos on the shot of sunlight peeking out at the Grand Canyon w/ the tourist overlook in the foreground. You don't get to see that everyday!

[Fran aka Mom]

A couple of things:

1. For your next trip:
http://automobiles.honda.com/element/dog-accessories.aspx

2. I really think you should send your mother a special edition of FHMA, omitting stories/pictures of you guys at the edge of cliffs during wild winds, driving through dust storms, driving along the edge of mountains, 105 mph drives, dealing with wild dogs, etcetera, etcetera.

[Ellen Zangla]

In the interest of making you feel like eating two burgers on Navajo fry bread is not so bad, check this "burger" out:

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/03/whitecaps_fifth_third_burger_n.html

I heard about it on NPR this morning; it's the equivalent of 9 Big Macs. Enough said.

[Scott lunt]

Ahhh, dust storm memories of home! I was once camping at Lake Powell when a dust storm came through. It was all we could do to keep our tents from blowing away. Years later, I'm still finding sand in my gear!

[Andrew Salomon]

Great dust storm video.

[Adrienne Via]

That was my favorite sign when I visited Canyon de Chelly! I was on a trip to the reservation in Ganado, AZ. If you have time the next time you go through there, swing by Fluted Rock which is two steps from the canyon. Gorgeous views.

[Tammy Kennon]

Ah, dust storms. One of my top ten reasons for moving away from the Southwest. During those storms in Lubbock I walked around with a damp cloth over my mouth -- INSIDE THE HOUSE. Ugh.

[Rebecca]

You thought you needed to be all fancy, using Google Latitude for readers to see where you are on your trip. Turns out all we needed was your friendly, neighborhood pack 'o wild dogs to track you.

As for your comment re: "Fred is a dog, and thus unable to communicate his feeling about hotels to us humans." I beg to differ and refer you back to FHMA, Days 27-33, when you sojourned at the FireSky Resort in AZ. The photos of Fred and Hank in those special, extra-fluffy doggie beds say it ALL about how they felt about their hotel stay.

[Joan]

I am reallly enjoying your videos - they add a new element to your postings. Also, Peter Gabriel is a GOD. Just thought I'd mention that.

[Lisa Swansey]

Hiatus?! I checked Variety Magazine. With coast-to-coast celebrity status and headshots by Joan, here's a perfect opportunity for Fred and Hank!

"MOVIE EXTRAS are the actors in the background who make scenes look realistic and alive in the background of movies, TV shows, commercials, music videos, sitcoms and reality shows. Movie Extras get paid up to $250 a day for filling spaces, standing around, moving around or sitting (3 of their greatest talents!).
"You may be asked to ride a bicycle, play cards, drink coffee in a coffee shop, or simply talk to someone." (ok, Fred riding a bike may be a stretch, and Hank's trying to cut back on caffeine, but still...)
BENEFITS:
* No Experience or Education Needed
* Meet Celebrities
* Work Flexible Hours
* Competitive Pay
* Opportunity to break into Acting or Modeling

Why not give it a shot! We may see 2 beagles up on the big screen coming soon!

[Paul Horenkamp]

You are so close to Burger Bar! It's right downstairs...

[Claudia]

Question on the dust storms, since i've never been in one: how does that affect the air in the car? do you just shut off the vents/turn on the AC?

As always, a fun, educational and interesting post! Thank you and enjoy Vegas, baby.

[Ori Hoffer]

More on the dust storms: That same weather system dumped a foot of snow on the mountain here in Park City - and it all had a weird yellow-red tint to it from all the southern Utah dust mixed in with the snow.

[DENISE V.]

I lived in Texas for one loooooong year back in the 80's. I survived two dust storms, a horrendous ice storm, gigantor-sized cockroaches, and a general dull time. This was Arlington, between Dallas and Fort Worth. I am not a fan, except for the Tex-Mex. And yes, the dust gets absolutely everywhere. Ugh.

Loved today's posts. Canyon be Chelly is definitely on my list for my next visit out west. The Grand Canyon? I'm not sure yet.

[Chris]

Claudia -- you don't really see the dust in the car, but you definitely sense it -- mostly as a taste and grit in your mouth. My family hit a nice one in Idaho or Utah on our way to Colorado about 15 years ago.

[Kelley]

The visability from your dust storm seems similar to driving in tule fog, which is really thick fog where your visibility changes rapidly. I teach in a rual area and this year was a really bad fog year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tule_fog

Also, it is nice to know that the Four Seasons will take Beagles. Although if we ever took our Maggy we would have to "fib" about her weight being under 25 pounds.

[Chris Harvey]

Jim and Joan, my 8-year-old daughter and I read this post together this morning (yes, we're a bit behind), and you're making it tough for me to fend off her requests to get her a dog. She was transfixed by your photos (now calling each pooch by name), and especially loved the pic of Hank's big old ears flapping in the wind. I loved the Grand Canyon sunshine photo, but was reminded with your cliff shots why I've avoided the Canyon on trips to Arizona. Some day I'll get over my fear of heights... Thanks for sharing your experiences! Best, Chris

[Joan Brady]

Hey Kelley - In the spirit of full disclosure... when Jim wrote.. "Now, we might be able to stretch the truth a tad and claim Fred weighs less than 25 pounds..." he probably should have added, "and we did!"

[Sonja]

Wow - I was at the Dam in October and it's interesting to see how much more of the Colorado River Bridge has been completed in 6 months. And your picture's WAY cooler!